Our first week at work consisted of an initial meeting with Rith from the VSO office in Phnom Penh (a rare visit by all accounts), general information and essential nuts and bolts of how things work or not as may be the case. There were also meetings with various personnel, trying to get a handle on who does what etc.
Jan has been in discussion with an outgoing volunteer from Holland called Wanda about her District Education Advisor role to ensure, as much as possible, a smooth transition and to further the good work already in place.
Likewise, I have been pestering Tricia, the soon to be leaving early December, Provincial Education Advisor in matters financial and inspectoral! I attended my first education workshop on Action Plan production which was interesting. Tricia and I were invited up onto the raised dais / podium for the finale, a series of speeches from the workshop organiser and the deputy director. Whilst this seems a good idea to build on the ‘troops’ motivation via a cogent summary, or should I say plenary, it took an alarming fifty-five minutes. At the end of which my gluteus maximus was registering some discomfort. I did raise a smile when I thought of my UK science colleagues and their reaction to introducing speeches at the end of meetings back at school – names available on request!
Tricia and Andy (her accompanying non-volunteer husband) have taken a few days off during the second week as it coincides with the Water Festival national holidays. Thus we have been left to our own devices in the house ‘til their return. As you may predict, if you have read earlier blog epistles, things began well and we went to work and continued sorting, reading and the like. However, all of a sudden the house began to resent our presence and decided to test our worthiness! All predictable things really but when they happen simultaneously, paranoia sets in and one begins to start considering conspiracy theories. The gas bottle ran out, we needed a new water bottle, the electricity mysteriously failed, the well pump refused to work, we were getting precariously low on stored water in the tank and to cap it all the sink tap developed a severe leak! Now tell me I’m paranoid!! Anyway as with all things Khmer they get sorted, the locals have an amazing make and mend outlook on life and all problems are soluble without the barang (local patois for us infidel from across the water – a term of endearment we think!!) angst of woe, doom, gloom and foreboding. As you might guess all things were resolved probably with less fuss and greater ease than in the UK. Not one sharp intake of breath, nor scratching of head not even an “I’m sorry chief I can’t possibly do it today, next Thursday at the earliest, I’ll need a £50 deposit to secure the appointment”!
On Friday 14th November I went on a visit with Jan, Wanda and Vorthera (our translator) to one of Jan’s new schools for a meeting with the Director and community members. The meeting went well and details of such will follow in another blog at a later date. The main reason for mentioning this is that the school was 25km away with 3km on road and the rest on the aforementioned red clay / dirt track (it’s actually Laterite I’ve been informed, for those interested).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Laterite (from the Latin word "later" meaning brick or tile) is a surface formation in hot and wet tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. The iron oxides goethite and hematite cause the red-brown color of laterites. (This is for Mr. W. Dransfield-Scott who probably knows it already – cheers Scotty!)
As with most ‘roads’ in the area tarmac runs out just after the town and ‘the red’ takes over. These tracks are much potholed (ranging from a 12” to 18”) but more daunting are sections where you have to drive on a 12” wide ridge for several hundred yards with drops of a yard or more either side – these certainly focus the mind somewhat. These craters and ridged sections are the result of very heavy and prolonged rainfall during the rainy season. So back to school visit. As already stated we set off (0700hrs) two bikes four people Jan and I on one Wanda and Vorthera on the other. It was cloudy with rain in the air (or what trendy UK weather readers call missle!!). Road conditions fair to good even when we hit the ‘red’. It took about 50min to get to the school and only a minor distraction of a slow puncture on V and W’s bike. Again Khmer resiliance came to the fore. Vorthera pumped the tyre up again then we proceeded the remaining 3km (rapidly) to the small village which had a repair shed / shack. The bike was left for repair and we all met up a few hundred metres down the road at the school.
Again you have probably guessed the next bit! Whist in the meeting it began to rain more persistently. At the end of our (successful) meeting we decided to postpone the second visit to a school further away due to the prospect of worsening weather and, more scary, the deteriorating road conditions. Both events happened, more rain which made the ‘red’ very difficult. The top surface was very sticky and slippery with the harder compacted ‘red’ beneath. Andy (Tricia’s husband) describes it as “like riding on ball bearings” an entirely apt description after experiencing it! Also bear in mind the ‘red’ road conditions described earlier, it was a major feat to remain upright, taking more concentration than I thought I had (another facet to my character I was unaware of!). Perhaps self preservation is one of those traits which kicks in under duress. I have to report that both Jan and I remained upright on the bike and returned knackered, but unscathed back to the office. (Chis ‘Stig’ Paige, our UK motor cycle instructor will be proud – Cheers Stig!!).
Jan has been in discussion with an outgoing volunteer from Holland called Wanda about her District Education Advisor role to ensure, as much as possible, a smooth transition and to further the good work already in place.
Likewise, I have been pestering Tricia, the soon to be leaving early December, Provincial Education Advisor in matters financial and inspectoral! I attended my first education workshop on Action Plan production which was interesting. Tricia and I were invited up onto the raised dais / podium for the finale, a series of speeches from the workshop organiser and the deputy director. Whilst this seems a good idea to build on the ‘troops’ motivation via a cogent summary, or should I say plenary, it took an alarming fifty-five minutes. At the end of which my gluteus maximus was registering some discomfort. I did raise a smile when I thought of my UK science colleagues and their reaction to introducing speeches at the end of meetings back at school – names available on request!
Tricia and Andy (her accompanying non-volunteer husband) have taken a few days off during the second week as it coincides with the Water Festival national holidays. Thus we have been left to our own devices in the house ‘til their return. As you may predict, if you have read earlier blog epistles, things began well and we went to work and continued sorting, reading and the like. However, all of a sudden the house began to resent our presence and decided to test our worthiness! All predictable things really but when they happen simultaneously, paranoia sets in and one begins to start considering conspiracy theories. The gas bottle ran out, we needed a new water bottle, the electricity mysteriously failed, the well pump refused to work, we were getting precariously low on stored water in the tank and to cap it all the sink tap developed a severe leak! Now tell me I’m paranoid!! Anyway as with all things Khmer they get sorted, the locals have an amazing make and mend outlook on life and all problems are soluble without the barang (local patois for us infidel from across the water – a term of endearment we think!!) angst of woe, doom, gloom and foreboding. As you might guess all things were resolved probably with less fuss and greater ease than in the UK. Not one sharp intake of breath, nor scratching of head not even an “I’m sorry chief I can’t possibly do it today, next Thursday at the earliest, I’ll need a £50 deposit to secure the appointment”!
On Friday 14th November I went on a visit with Jan, Wanda and Vorthera (our translator) to one of Jan’s new schools for a meeting with the Director and community members. The meeting went well and details of such will follow in another blog at a later date. The main reason for mentioning this is that the school was 25km away with 3km on road and the rest on the aforementioned red clay / dirt track (it’s actually Laterite I’ve been informed, for those interested).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Laterite (from the Latin word "later" meaning brick or tile) is a surface formation in hot and wet tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. The iron oxides goethite and hematite cause the red-brown color of laterites. (This is for Mr. W. Dransfield-Scott who probably knows it already – cheers Scotty!)
As with most ‘roads’ in the area tarmac runs out just after the town and ‘the red’ takes over. These tracks are much potholed (ranging from a 12” to 18”) but more daunting are sections where you have to drive on a 12” wide ridge for several hundred yards with drops of a yard or more either side – these certainly focus the mind somewhat. These craters and ridged sections are the result of very heavy and prolonged rainfall during the rainy season. So back to school visit. As already stated we set off (0700hrs) two bikes four people Jan and I on one Wanda and Vorthera on the other. It was cloudy with rain in the air (or what trendy UK weather readers call missle!!). Road conditions fair to good even when we hit the ‘red’. It took about 50min to get to the school and only a minor distraction of a slow puncture on V and W’s bike. Again Khmer resiliance came to the fore. Vorthera pumped the tyre up again then we proceeded the remaining 3km (rapidly) to the small village which had a repair shed / shack. The bike was left for repair and we all met up a few hundred metres down the road at the school.
Again you have probably guessed the next bit! Whist in the meeting it began to rain more persistently. At the end of our (successful) meeting we decided to postpone the second visit to a school further away due to the prospect of worsening weather and, more scary, the deteriorating road conditions. Both events happened, more rain which made the ‘red’ very difficult. The top surface was very sticky and slippery with the harder compacted ‘red’ beneath. Andy (Tricia’s husband) describes it as “like riding on ball bearings” an entirely apt description after experiencing it! Also bear in mind the ‘red’ road conditions described earlier, it was a major feat to remain upright, taking more concentration than I thought I had (another facet to my character I was unaware of!). Perhaps self preservation is one of those traits which kicks in under duress. I have to report that both Jan and I remained upright on the bike and returned knackered, but unscathed back to the office. (Chis ‘Stig’ Paige, our UK motor cycle instructor will be proud – Cheers Stig!!).
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